Blood and Trust
by dk-joy
Summary: Ban thinks he has done or will do something horrible to his best friend, but Ginji trusts him.  No pairing.  Rated for blood.


Warnings and Disclaimer: I don't own GetBackers (though I own copies of the anime and all of the English manga that has been translated) and I don't make any money from this. This chapter contains blood, bad dreams, bishies. Heh. Also, I need to work on staying in ONE verb tense… at least this isn't in French with their billion different tenses.

Summary: Ban thinks he has done or will do something horrible to his best friend, but Ginji trusts him. No pairing. Rated for blood.

Blood and Trust

The scent of blood is what brought him from the land of dreams and into reality.

Ban's eyes snapped open, electric blue surrounding deep black. They shifted to the driver's side window to his right, then to his partner in the passenger seat to the left. His heart stuttered to a halt before it restarted with a vengeance, pounding mercilessly beneath the skin of his neck. Ban lifted his head from the head rest, dark brown hair matted down with sweat in the back, but still sticking up like a sea urchin's spines in the front.

"Ginji?"

Ban didn't really expect a response. He knew that no one could live after losing that much blood. His partner was completely drenched in his own blood. How did he know it was his partner's blood? From the smell of it. He didn't know how he knew – he just did. He knew with an absolute certainty that was strange. If he didn't know its scent, he would have worried that Raitei had come out to play during the night. But he knew that every single drop of blood that covered Ginji from the tips of his golden blond hair to the white shirt and green vest covering his torso, to the light brown shorts, white socks, and brown sneakers on his feet was Ginji's.

_And the blood on my hands?_

Ban froze. Without moving his head, he shifted his eyes down to his hands, then quickly looked up at the ceiling of the Subaru.

_I didn't do that. It isn't his blood. It can't be. I wouldn't do that to Ginji. I would kill _**MYSELF** _before I would do that to Ginji. Nevertheless…_

Closing his eyes tightly, Ban brought his right hand close enough to his face that he could identify the substance on his fingertips by scent, without the blood covering his friend's corpse interfering.

_No._

Yes. It was definitely Ginji's. Feeling sick, he brought his index finger to his mouth and let his tongue flick against it lightly. So sweet.

_No._

Eyes snapping open, he pulled his hand away from his mouth in disgust. The taste and scent of blood was overpowering. He wanted more.

_I won't._

Turning to look at his friend, he noticed for the first time that Ginji's unseeing eyes were turned toward his and seemed to stare at him accusingly. Ban could always read Ginji's eyes – anyone could, really. Those expressive chocolate orbs nearly screamed his every emotion. And now his dead eyes showed surprise and horror at what his partner had become.

_What am I?_

Ban took a deep breath and nearly choked on the overpowering stench of blood. Instead of the smell fading due to familiarity, it seemed to be growing. Looking again at his friend's corpse, he saw a fountain of blood erupting from his throat. Ginji's head turned, unseeing eyes locking with his own.

"Ban-chan? Why did you do this to me? Why, Ban-chan?"

He couldn't look away, he couldn't run, he couldn't move. Shaking, he could only look at his friend's corpse and listen to the sickening things he had done to his friend's body before, after, and while he killed him. Ban's breathing grew erratic, panicked at seeing Ginji's corpse spewing such filthy and hateful words, the list of his own atrocities growing a life of their own until he could see and remember everything he had done. The smell of blood was beyond disgusting to him now.

Clawing at his own throat, he tried to ignore all of his senses – didn't want to feel the blood on his hands or smell the blood and death that filled the car. Didn't want to breathe.

"Ban."

He dug his fingers in deeper, perhaps wanting the smell of his own blood to wash away the scent of Ginji's.

"BAN!!!!"

Ban awoke instantly when Paul splashed his face with a cup of ice water. Temporarily forgetting the horrible nightmare he had just had, he glared at the owner of the Honky Tonk and brought his hands toward his neck, coughing up water that had been pushed up his nose and into his mouth. He winced when his hands contacted the flesh of his throat. Looking down, he froze when he saw blood diluted with water coating his fingers.

Just then, the door to the little café opened with a jingle of the bell and Ginji cheerfully walked in.

"Ban-chan! I thought you'd be here! Why did you…" He stopped when he saw the surprised look on Ban's face and the blood on his friend's abused throat. "Ban-chan! What happened!?" He resumed walking, at a much quicker pace than before, concern transforming his features.

"I killed you." Ban whispered, so quiet that Paul barely heard him.

With a sideways glance, Paul answered for him. "He had a bad dream. He was just about to go to the washroom to clean himself up. Right?"

Ban nodded dumbly and walked to the restroom at the back of the café, still trying to figure out what had just happened.

Ginji moved to follow him, but Paul cleared his throat, so Ginji politely turned toward him and asked what he wanted.

"I think he needs some time alone." Paul answered, waving a hand as an invitation to sit down and pouring the blond a cup of coffee. "It's free."

Looking at Paul with a combination of happiness and suspicion, Ginji took a few sips of his coffee.

"What happened?" He asked quietly. "Ban wasn't himself… and how did his throat get like that?"

"He came in here a few hours ago looking like he hadn't slept in days. He took a seat and put his head down and I waited a few minutes for him to beg for coffee or some food, but he didn't say anything. I asked him what he wanted, and when he didn't answer, I noticed that he had gone to sleep." Paul replied.

"…it normally takes him hours to get to sleep in the Subaru." Ginji's eyes followed Paul's hand as he wiped the bar with a wet cloth, cleaning up spilled water and the few drops of Ban's blood that had landed there.

"Just a few minutes ago, I heard soft noises, and I looked up and saw him holding his throat and coughing. By the time I walked over to him, he was digging his fingertips into the skin and had started bleeding. I called his name a few times, but he didn't hear me or ignored me, so I threw water on his face. You walked in shortly after he woke up."

"Did you ask him what he was dreaming about?"

"I didn't get a chance. But when you walked in and asked him what was wrong, he answered."

"…huh? I didn't hear him say anything."

Paul looked at him and said, "he whispered it. I don't think he even knew he was talking. He said 'I killed you.'"

Ginji's eyes got wide and he stood up quickly, bowing slightly toward Paul. "Thanks for the coffee." Then he was jogging toward the bathroom where Ban had disappeared minutes before.

Ban was leaning over the sink, splashing handfuls of water on his face and neck, soaking the front of his shirt.

Not sure how to start the conversation, Ginji cleared his throat and started to speak, but stopped when Ban started, looked at his reflection in the mirror, his eyes widening and his face going pale, as if he'd just seen a ghost.

"Ginji…"

Ginji decided to jump right in. "You didn't hurt me and you wouldn't, Ban-chan. It was just a dream."

"… how do I know that I'm not dreaming right now? Maybe I gave myself the Evil Eye so that I wouldn't have to face what I've done."

Ginji looked confused for a second, then said, "… wouldn't you make it a happier dream, then?"

Ban blinked. "I guess…"

"But seriously, Ban-chan. It was just a dream. It doesn't mean anything. I've had dreams of doing horrible things to people too, but that's all they are. Dreams. It doesn't mean you want to…"

"Yeah… but what if…"

"I know you would never even dream…" Ban looked at him with a wry smile, "eh heh heh… well… I know you would never ACTUALLY hurt me like that. I trust you, Ban-chan."

"Why, Ginji?" Ban winced, thinking of the dream Ginji and how he had asked the same thing.

"Because you're my best friend and partner. We're the GetBackers, the 's' means we're never alone, and… you just wouldn't. I know you, Ban-chan! That's why I can trust you."

Ban smiled at his friend, wondering what he'd ever done to deserve someone like Ginji.

TBC or Owari?

Author's Note: I figure this could work as a one-shot, BUT… I'd like to make it a continuing series. I'm planning on making Ban into a vampire. cringes Didn't think I'd ever do something like this, but it's been kind of buzzing around in my head all day and somehow this thought looks at fic came up and I thought it would be a good beginning to the story. It would be something like Ban gets turned into a half-vampire (which will be explained) and tries to resist draining Ginji dry (the trusting little blond sure doesn't make it easy on him). It would be shonen ai/yaoi (Ban/Ginji/Ban probably). Tell me if you're interested and how you like this chapter/one-shot!


End file.
